Ovidiu Cristea
The Victory of Vaslui (1475) and the Diplomatic Initiatives of Stephen the Great: Some Remarks | p. 241–250


Keywords
credibility, diplomacy, Moldavia, Stephen the Great, Venice

Abstract

The paper focuses on credibility—a rather neglected aspect of the diplomatic contacts between Moldavia and the Western powers in 1475–1476. In the aftermath of the Battle of Vaslui (January 10, 1475), Stephen the Great sent a letter to all the Christian princes to announce his success and to request help for the war against the pagans. Right around that time, the Prince established the first diplomatic contacts with the Venetian Republic and the papacy using as messengers two foreigners: the Venetian Paul Ognibene and the Hungarian Nicholas Ujlaki. The choice was more the consequence of the Western lack of knowledge about Moldavia at that moment than a lack of diplomatic personnel at the Moldavian court. It seems Stephen the Great was aware that a Moldavian boyar might have raised suspicions in Venice or Rome, so he employed a Venetian subject to send the message about the victory and to affirm his determination to pursue the fight against the Ottomans.